Arsenal have missed out on the opportunity to sign young defender Juan Larios from Barcelona, with the player poised to join Manchester City.
According to the Daily Record, as cited on the Daily Mail, City, Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool were all chasing the player.
Clearly highly rated in Spain, Larios has not been short of offers. He will now move to City when he turns 16, for a fee just under £350,000.
Larios is said to be concerned about first-team chances in Spain, with Jordi Alba ever-present in the Barcelona squad.
Read Arsenal verdict
It’s, of course, a blow to lose out on a young Barcelona starlet and it’s a sign of how times have changed in the Premier League.
Arsenal always used to be the team that would pick up these Barcelona youngsters and offer them a route into first-team football, but with the lure of working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the Premier League champions have become the standout destination for these kids.
If Larios was concerned about first-team opportunities at the Nou Camp, he’ll have an even tougher task of finding that at Manchester City, who have been reluctant to bring too many youth players through under Guardiola.
